What the philosopher Nic Veroli has to say:

So, Israel is mobilizing reservists in light of a possible ground invasion of Gaza. Seeing as how that clearly wouldn't do anything for anyone, I wonder if that's not simply a way of wagging the dog—i.e. a response by the political right to the protests for social justice that have been occurring in Israel itself over the past months. If so, it wouldn't be surprising given the drift of Israel social policy over the last 30 years. One thing's for sure: there won't be any social justice for Israelis until there's justice for Palestinians.

This, I think, is the heart of the matter. The oppression of the Palestinians is also the oppression of the progressive elements or potential in Israel's society. Indeed, one might convincingly argue that it has more to do with the latter than the former. It's like a man who beats his neighbor's wife to keep his own wife in check.